Muay Thai Basics For Beginners

Before doing anything too fancy, I strongly urge you to build a solid foundation of the basic moves. Workout the kinks and find what works best for you.

These moves will eventually be combined to create combos. If you work hard to perfect these moves, you’re combos will be even more powerful.

The Cross

You can use this powerful punch when you see and opening. It’s also very helpful for knock downs.

This strike is done with your dominant hand. Pivot your back foot a bit, and then twist that hip to front to power your fist into your target. As you go in for the hit, rotate your fist slightly, with your elbow turned downward. After you’ve made the hit, reset your arm as quickly as possible.

The Jab

This punch is very quick. You should use this to set you up for something more powerful. The jab will stun the opponent and can give you an opening.

You’ll do this with your front hand. Taking a small step toward your opponent with your front leg, you’ll quickly strike with that lead hand. Rotate your first while doing so.

I want you to remember that this punch is not as much about power as it about speed. You’re powerful hit is going to be used after your jab. So always, try to reset quickly.

The Round Kick

This is one the most important moves when practicing Muay Thai. You can create a massive amount of power once you’ve learned how to properly do it.

Then lift your front leg up and snap your lower leg out to strike your opponent. Point your toes during this kick, there should be a straight line from your toes to your shin. Be careful not to overextend.

The Hook

This is a great hit for when your opponent’s guard is down. It’s great for a close range hit to the body and can be done with either fist.

You’ll want to pivot the foot of whichever fist you’re using to strike, also follow through with the same hip. Be sure to keep your elbow and fist aligned to keep your fist supported when you’ve made contact.

Basic Combos for Beginners

Once you feel like you’re starting to get the hang of some of the basic moves, you can start working on some combos.

I know it can start to get a little boring just doing fundamentals all the time but its important to master them first before moving onto combos.

Once you’ve been practicing for a while you can start to get more creative, but here are a few good combos that are great for beginners.

A right uppercut followed by a left hook

Straight right followed by a left cross

left – right jab followed by a round kick

jab – jab uppercut

Pick a couple of combos to practice and then once you start to feel more comfortable switch them around.

Repetition and practice will make you a much better fighter and your opponent wont even realize that you have just unleashed a flurry of combos.

More Tips

You’ll really pick up your own style as you get deeper into your Mauy Thai practice. It takes a lot of work and discipline, but it’s all worth it.

Here are a few more tips that will help you build your skills and power faster and more efficiently.

Invest In Good Gear

It might seem like a good idea to get a generic brand of gloves when starting out, but it might end up hurting you in the long run. They could end up lacking in padding and protection.

They also will begin to wear down much faster.

So if Muay Thai is something you really want to get serious about, I suggest getting yourself a pair of quality gloves.

Watch Others Fight

You can actually improve your own technique by observing others fight and train. There are always people you can watch and learn from at your gym.

You can also ask your trainers and fellow fighters if there’s any places they recommend to watch fights.

Wrap Your Fists Properly

I can’t stress enough how important it is to wrap your hands. The punches that you make in Muay Thai are very powerful and the impact is very hard.

The bones and ligaments in your hands and wrists are very small and fragile, so they must be protected at all times. If you slack on this, you could risk being out of practice for a long time with injuries.

Eat a Nutritious Diet

It’s so important to fuel your body right. What you put in will affect your energy, power, and ability to recover. Eat some healthy carbohydrates about 1 to 2 hours before you’ll be going into training.

Creatine is also a good supplement that you can try incorporating. Sluggishness can really leave you open to your opponent.

Exercise

Keeping healthy, fit and exercising properly can always give you better stamina and an upper hand during fights and training.

Conclusion

I’ve laid out some of the basic moves that will help to build a solid foundation for you. Practice them, and over time you’ll develop your own style and favorite ways to incorporate them in to your fighting.

Be sure to take care of yourself by protecting your body with proper equipment and proper nutrition.

Muay Thai could really be what you need to step up your fighting skills. Some of the more successful UFC fighters utilize this style of fighting and can really put up a great fight.

Learning it takes a lot of discipline and focus, but it can really change the game for you.